“The most important thing for any club is winning at the big-league level so that’s not to deter us, it mostly just causes you to rethink your strategy (when) you’re going to try to sign an amateur player,” said assistant general manager Eddie Romero, who formerly served as the club’s vice president of international scouting. “It just moves the puzzle pieces around a little bit, but you just find a way to adjust and hopefully you still get the guys you want with the allotment that you have and the guys you’re really targeting and doing homework on.”

At the same time, the Red Sox have to balance missing out on using that money on stockpiling eight or 10 lower-level signees who might pan out. For instance, Bello signed for $28,000 and Rafaela for $10,000.

Regardless, there’s always a gamble on either side.

The Red Sox currently have agreements in place with 25 players, but that number could increase in the coming days. Most of the players will report to the Red Sox Dominican Academy on Jan. 22 where they will begin “indoctrination into Red Sox fundamentals,” as Romero called it. For several weeks they’ll begin learning more structured strength and conditioning programs before progressing into baseball activities.

Romero highlighted a few players in particular who might be worth keeping an eye on over the coming years.

Yoeilin Cespedes, SS, Dominican Republic

Scout: Manny Nanita

Cespedes, who reportedly signed for about $1.4 million as the top signee for the Red Sox, was ranked the 25th-best prospect in this international class by MLB.com. The 5-foot-10 infielder has drawn comparisons to Howie Kendrick and Jean Segura as a bat-first middle infielder with power. The Red Sox have been scouting the 17-year-old closely for the last two years, since MLB lifted its international travel restrictions following the pandemic. Nanita was the scout responsible for signing Devers and Bello as well.

Romero: “He’s super strong and he’s had one of the most advanced approaches of any player we’ve signed since I’ve been here (dating to 2006). His offensive approach is up there with our best hitters like Devers and Daniel Flores, Eddinson Paulino, those guys who had really advanced offensive approaches in terms of discipline, in terms of knowing which pitches to do damage on, and in terms of having a plan at the plate at a young age. He really is a quality at-bat and far advanced for his age. I think he goes out as a shortstop and we’ll see where he ends up, either second, third or short, we’ll rotate him through there, but definitely a really intriguing bat with power.”

Franklin Arias, SS, Venezuela

Scout: Alex Requena

Arias reportedly signed for $525,000, and brings both a strong offensive approach and an impressive defensive profile as a middle infielder.

Romero: “He is uber-athletic and really smooth defensively. He’s going to have a plus arm and has already put on a lot of good weight since we’ve started seeing him. He’s a five-tool upside player. He’s one of the best defenders in the class and he’s got offensive upside with surprising pop for his size and just overall a really intriguing package when you consider what he can do on both sides of the ball.”

Yoiber Ruiz, SS, Venezuela

Scout: Alex Requena

Though it may seem like the Red Sox are stockpiling shortstops, the best amateur athletes typically play short and may then be moved to other positions as they mature. Ruiz, who reportedly signed for roughly $500,000, is listed as a shortstop, but the Red Sox plan to play him in center field, where he’s played briefly before, and take advantage of his versatility.

Romero: “A sparkplug-type player, top of the lineup, contact-oriented, line drive approach. He can run and sprays line drives. He’s someone who has a really good baseball IQ, someone who has a baseball clock and while he might not have the offensive upside of a Cespedes, he’s a really good overall player with versatility.”

Jesus Garcia, RHP, Venezuela

Scout: Ernesto Gomez

One of just eight pitchers signed so far by the Red Sox, Garcia just turned 17 and already stands at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds. He projects as a No. 3 or 4 starter with an intriguing pitch mix and poise at such a young age.

Romero: “We’ve seen him up to 92 (mph) already and for somebody that big he’s able to control his delivery really well and repeat it, attacking style and demeanor, very aggressive. We really liked the fact he pounded the strike zone with multiple pitches. I think the first time we saw him he was 5-foot-10, now he’s almost 6-foot-3 and that won’t last long. He’s tough to hit, it’s a big body, he’s got velo and overall his fastball quality in terms of spin and movement was something that really caught our eye.”

Kleyver Salazar, C, Venezuela

Scout: Ramon Mora

He’s the younger brother of Red Sox prospect Johnfrank Salazar, who the Red Sox signed in 2019, and like his brother has also converted from infielder to catcher. When the Red Sox first scouted him, the younger Salazar was still an infielder but upon transitioning to catcher, he’s developed quite a bit offensively.

Romero: “He’s a big physical, 6-foot-2, 200-pound catcher with a really strong arm. We have somebody we feel can handle the catching position, he’s got great instincts, very smart, obviously baseball runs in the family, and somebody offensively we think can really tune up. He had some of the highest exit velos we had in the class, we think he could be a big league catcher with average to a tick-above-average power. He has soft hands and looks natural back there. When you combine that this guy has real power to tap into and is at a premium position, he’s a real interesting kid for that.”

A few other interesting names:

Alex Castillo, OF, Venezuela

Scout: Alfredo Castellon

A strong defensive outfielder with a very strong arm, the Red Sox initially considered converting him to a pitcher, but have opted to leave him in center field for now because they are intrigued with what he brings offensively.

Romero: “Athletic kid, a body with a ton of projection left and a very intelligent player. We need to work on his swing a little in terms of shortening it, but he uses the whole field and has a lot of physical upside and we think he can play everyday center field. Plus arm, and just a player that has a very high floor because he does everything well and can impact the game offensively and defensively while being in center. We also think there’s some power there too, considering how skinny he is now, he strikes the ball with authority and is someone we really like.”

Stijn Van Der Schaaf, RHP, Netherlands

Scout: Rene Saggiadi

The Red Sox first saw him at an international tournament and liked his 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame. Van Der Schaaf is a bit older than some of the other prospects here and will turn 19 in a few months. Given his physical development, he’ll report to minor league spring training on March 4 in Fort Myers, Fla. rather than the Dominican Academy.

Romero: “He has really good arm action, free, loose he’s a good athlete. In a small amount of time our scout saw a lot of improvement, right now he’s a two-pitch guy, we need to work on a third pitch, but we saw him touching 90 (mph) with a really good slider … he had average to tick-above-average spin on the fastball and really good spin on his slider as well. His fastball moves and we saw on video that he was overmatching guys. There are still some inconsistencies because he’s still raw, we have a ways to go with a third pitch, but he was just improving and wanted to play pro ball and we were able to get him.”

Chad Delancey, SS, Bahamas

Scout: Dominique Collie

Delancey, who goes by Chad but whose first name is Decarlo, is the first player the Red Sox have signed out of the Bahamas since Romero began working for the team.

Romero: “He’s somebody who came on late and can play all over the place, we’ll probably throw him in a very versatile defensive role, where he’s going to play the corners and second base, but he’s got a pretty good swing and bat speed. He runs well. We need to get him in the system and get him strong but he’s got some twitch to his game, depending on which way the body goes will probably end up on a corner, but really hard worker and needs work defensively but the offensive profile is there.”